NickA

Didn't realise alembic were such a big outfit. I've been to the electric wood workshop.... but as its a small converted cowshed, there isn't much of a "tour" to be had. Fraction of the size.

Well its an improvement on the original anyway. Upper fret access on bolt on necks is often an issue.

😂😂 That's the spirit! Sure the great makers of the 18th century would have done exactly that!

My fretless is 86, two string guides, black knobs. Guess it's whatever was in the parts bin. Unlike today,they used to knock them out apace. These days, the exact colour of the knobs and kind of string guide is probably what people specify, along with the special stained finishes, custom finger board inlays gold hardwear etc etc ...no wonder it takes so long to make one now. 🤔

Not a pro1. That's a custom ( aka MK1). Looks like a nice one too. £7k isn't far off the mark these days. In fact this is about the cheapest one out there today. From the wear on the knobs, it's Wal & Pete Stevens era not a Paul Herman. Late 80s? There are some silly prices out there eg a fretless custom on reverb for £12k and a nearly new MK2 4 string that sold in Denmark for about £12k ( inc vat).

Closer to Anthony Jackson's Fodera "contra bass". Whole different instrument to dB or electric imo. Impressive bit of kit, tho I wish he'd shut up and just play it.

Anthony Jackson has a very particular sound ...it's not very dB like, it's unique; very damped. He's a genius. It took a while for me to appreciate that as it's sometimes hard to hear what he's playing! You're right that I like a complex dB sound, that's why I play one ..the "thump" is a part of it, the mwah is too ( spiros, low action, diagonal pizz strikes). You don't get that sound from the old Paul chambers etc recordings it's true, but I think that sound is to an extent what you could get from 1950s/ 60s recording tech and old style strings. If Mr PC had had access to spiros,and a selection of realist pickups and modern mikes he'd have sounded different!? ....maybe? That Oscar Peterson recording is superb... and I'd say the bass sound is really complex, full of nuance and tonal variety. It's like listening to black velvet. But as previously said ",there is no one dB sound". If heavily damped thud is what you want then a block of foam and tape wounds on a P might float your boat, but it's not a sound I can get ( or would want) from my double bass. I guess I'd like to sound like Eddie Gomez (😂) ..and some people say he sounds like he's playing a fretless electric. Tho I'd settle for Danny Thompson on Solid Air! (😂😂) ...as if.

Sounds awful, like an overdamped thuddy p bass. Some strange idea of how a double bass sounds. Where is the lovely change in timbre you get during the decay of a double bass note.

I like this one. But there is no "upright bass sound". Someone playing rockabilly on a laminate bass sounds quite different from Charlie Haden or Eddie Gomez playing jazz on something ancient. Personally I'm going for a softer high-mwah sound whereas others are after a well damped solid thud. Too right, who plays the same lines on electric and upright?

Oooo half position. Simandls favourite. Painful. I avoid going there whenever possible. But if you're playing with saxophones it's unavoidable .. and a well developed left hand is essential.

Looks nice. Looks fairly new. Properly made too. It's a shape that's quite popular for modern factory basses .. look at the Eastman &Jay Haide basses ( made in china) and they have the same steeply sloped shoulders, violin corners and round back. Could almost be an Eastman vb305 https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product/eastman-vb305-double-bass-evah-pirazzi/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwx-CyBhAqEiwAeOcTdQ2WGSSYTKVKXhiVLCUXtU2ZcvgB1DWnYidR9Sq7imKrBqWfU9uWVxoCXjkQAvD_BwE But it has different tuners and the extension looks as though it was built with the neck which is unusual ( they're usually added later) and the dark stain on the neck is unusual too ( usually bare oiled maple). Is that a repaired crack in the front tho? Could have been repaired / restored .. Where did you buy it? Did the seller not know it's provenance? If you take it for an insurance valuation to somewhere like timtoft or thwaites they might have some ideas. Pretty common with basses that you just never know. I know the history of mine, but not who made it..it's just "German, late 1800s"...and a nice restored one I nearly bought, which looked new, was "English, maybe Hungarian, around 1900".

Maybe mod a series 2 by replacing the op amps then 😉. Tho there are likely other things in there using power (voltage bias resistors or sommat) The 1x9V batteries in my Wal basses last for years.

That's because a plucked violin sounds like someone dropping ball bearings in a tin bath, whereas a pizzicato bass sounds sublime.

Ok! Sounds good. I've only ever had two double bass lessons (.both classical). But I play the cello too, so the transition wasn't that hard. Did work through a lot of simandl tho:and needed the lessons to get out of a rut. Left hand Technique for jazz and classical is the same, but few classical bass teachers know how to do a proper jazz style pizzicato! Also worth finding someone to help you with which notes to p!ay. I only really got into jazz by playing at workshops, sessions and then a regular band. There's a limit to what you can learn at home on your own. And there are no end of jazz sessions about these days. The main difference from electric is the muscle work involved. I'd advise playing a bit every day and doing a lot of dull half position semi tone stuff to build up your left hand... and don't cheat on left hand Technique: stick to proper positions keeping fingers 1 ,2 & 4 a semi tone apart, else it's easy to get lost and out of tune ( no chance for a quick glance at the frets!) Good luck & report back!

Essential for the hour long misery of a Mahler symphony. I have a very nice K&M one from Thomann.

Lessons in what kind of double bass playing?

...i looked up the price of a new dolphin pro1 today: £7800 !!! That's an off the shelf master build not a custom shop special. But 2nd hand they're around £2k. Go figure. Still no idea what Sonny is playing. But if he did buy a SN and liked it ..why not. I've never played or even seen a SN .. did try a pro2 and that is emphatically NOT in the same league as a pro1.

"Terribly sorry mate, but we just sold it; can we take your contact details so we can let you know when another comes along?" Is the right answer! I can see the shops point tho. More cash less hassle .. exporting to the states with CITES declarations etc must be a real pita.

There is a thread on Wal Facebook. The guy who didn't get the bass is being a real gent about it. Peeved, but polite. The shops reputation has suffered a little, but everyone in Wal world is still friends! ....I think.

..and THAT imo is the BEST kind. 😁

£11k ?? Ooph. Upside, you made a killing. Downside you don't have that Wal! Prices getting a BIT more sensible of late.

series 1 at bassbros. A mere £5500. Ugly headstock and pointless pointy bit at the bottom ... Still rather lovely tho. They have an epic too. No 5 string Europa sadly, but nice one on reverb.... https://reverb.com/uk/item/67502664-alembic-europa-1997-bocate-top-wood Actually that's Jazzy V's ..which I had palpitations about when it was listed here. GAS? Me?

Gallery's wal pricing is loopy of late... commission sales for optimistic collectors I guess. They've a perfectly nice Wal MK1 for £8250 right now... and an alembic omega for £16500. More work and fancy wood in the alembic, but most of the uplift is some "celeb" connection which seems to pump prices more than the actual bass. The gallery sold that "I've been on a live aid video" Wal to Scott Devine for £18k... nuff said.

Don't touch that black one with a barge pole. It will put you off double bass for life! There may be a decent bass under the paint and "repairs" but it would cost £100s ( £1000s even) to dig it out. I think most dealers and repairers would tell you to scrap it rather than spend the money What are you planning to play on it btw? And how likely are you to persevere with it? Double basses are something you form a relationship with over years of playing.. and trading up is expensive. So making a decent investment in one early on can be a good thing in the long run.

Hmm ...possibly 🤔 they are a bit marmite tho. The ergonomics don't make playing that easy; my Mk2 5er, in particular, is a big hefty thing with poor upper fret access. Some adjustments in technique ( floating thumb, never hooking my left hand round the necketc) help and I'll put up with it for the tone ...and it does look nice on the wall 😉. Worth the £4k I paid? Yes, but with the proviso I could sell it without losing money. £10k? No way, that's double bass money.